Woven fabric



Feb. 26, 1935. w. D. BLATz 1,992,856

` wovEN FABRIC Filed Aug. 11, 1934 lla Ib -QISIQIEIEIDJIEIQ-QIQIQIEIQIQIEIEID- .a4

INVENTOR WARREN D. BLATZ BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 26, 1935 lPATENTOFFICE WOVEN FABRIC Warren D. Blatz, Bridgeport, Conn., assigner to TheBead Chain Manufacturing Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation ofConnecticut Application August 11, 1934, Serial No. 739,496

2 Claims.

This invention relates to Woven bodies or fab- I rics and moreparticularly to ornamental or decorative fabrics suitable for ladiesbelts, ladies' handbags and other uses and it is an object of this y 5invention to provide an improved woven fabric or body of the typedescribed which may be readily woven upon the usual looms; is of a softand ilexible nature; of relatively light weight and which is formed, forthe greater part, of metallicly connected beads or balls.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view drawn to an enlargedscale, of a portion of a woven fabric or body in accordance with thisinvention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view drawn to a larger scale of a portion of a chain ofbeads or balls used in weaving the fabric, portions of some of the beadsor balls being broken away to show the metallic links connecting thebeads or balls' more clearly.

As shown in the drawing, a woven fabric or body in accordance with thisinvention 'comprises parallel strands 1 arranged to form warps of thefabric and consisting of iiexible chains of metallic beads or balls 1joined by metallic connecting links 1b. Such chains are known in thetrade as bead chains, ball chains and shot chains and it is to beunderstood a chain of the type disclosed is indicated wherever any oneof these terms is used in the specification `and Iclaims.

Between adjacent chains of beads are placed other warp strands 2 of abrous material, as cotton, linen, rayon, silk or other suitablematerial,so that the beads do not tend to t in the spaces between the beads ofadjacent chains. The strands 2 are manipulated individually, similarlyto the strandsI 1, in the shifting of the warp strands for the receptionof the weft strands 4 which may be of a material similar to the warpstrands 2 or of other suitable material.

In the arrangement of the warp threads shown in the drawing, two warpthreads 2 are placed between adjacent warp strands 1 and in separatingfor the weft threads alternate strands, irrespective of their nature,are raised and the other strands lowered so that the weft strands passalternately above and below the warp threads.

The forward movement of the fabric after each movement of the shuttlecarrying the weft thread is vsuicient to move the warp strands thelength of a bead and a -linlr so that the weft thread 4engages each warpstrand 1, except the 6 side strands, between each pair of adjacent beadsof the chain. At each side warp strand 1 the weft thread 4 is returnedso as to engage only the alternate links and the links engaged by theweft thread at one side warp strand 1 are staggered with respect to thelinks engaged at the opposite side warp strand.

The ball chains provide an ornamental fabric which is of greaterstrength and less weight than the usual bead fabrics and is especiallysuitable for ladies belts and handbags as well as for other uses. Thewarp strands 2 aid in preserving the alignment of the Warp strands 1 sothat the beads lie in rows disposed at right angles. With the weftthreads engaging the smooth metallic links between the beads there is nocutting of the weft threads and the rounded faces of the adjacent beads,or balls, secure the weft threads in positiOIl Without QIIEBLQLILIIIgsQthat the fabric while soft and flexible resists distortion under tensionand resumes its normal shape immediately the strain is released.

Diiferent effects may be obtained by use of beads of different metals orcolors and diiferent materials or colors for the other warp strands andthe weft strands.- While two fibrous warp threads have been shownbetween adjacent ball chains, it is to be understood that the number ofsuch brous warp threads may be varied and the relation of the weftthreads thereto changed within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:-

1. A woven fabric having all weft threads of fibrous material and one ormore warp strands of ball chains comprising metallic beads joined bymetallic links.

2. A Woven fabric having weft threads of fibrous material and a warp offlexible metallic ball chains4 with one or more warp threads of fibrousmaterial between the ball chains. l

,WARREN D. BLATZ.

